Karnataka to name Apis cerana, Malabar tree toad as state symbols

Karnataka Minister Eshwar Khandre said on Friday that the process to officially designate Apis cerana as the state insect and the Malabar tree toad as the state amphibian was underway.

Speaking at an event organised to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity, he said many countries declare national symbols such as birds, animals, and trees to emphasise the importance of biodiversity conservation.

The Karnataka government has similarly declared sandalwood as the state tree, the elephant as the state animal, and the Indian roller (Nilkantha) as the state bird. In addition, the Southern Birdwing (Troides minos), a large butterfly with yellow and black wings, has been declared the state butterfly, he said.

''The process to officially designate Apis cerana as the state insect and the Malabar Tree Toad as the state amphibian is underway,'' the Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment said in a release issued by his office.

The minister said the state government was fighting court cases to reclaim forest land valued at over Rs 50,000 crore that is currently under the possession of HMT Limited, the Indian Air Force, and private rubber plantation companies, in an effort to protect green cover and promote forest conservation.

Protecting biodiversity is crucial for maintaining environmental balance, he said. Recognising this, the state government has declared the 5,678-acre area around Bengaluru's Hesaraghatta Lake as the Greater Hesaraghatta Protected Grassland.

Additionally, 153 acres at Madappanahalli near Yelahanka in north Bengaluru have been allocated for the development of the Vishwa Guru Basavanna Biodiversity Park. The state government has allocated Rs 50 crore for the first phase of the project, which has a total estimated cost of Rs 250 crore, he added.

Preventing human-wildlife conflict is a government priority, the minister said. Referring to a recent incident at Dubare in Kodagu district - where a woman was trampled to death during a fight between two trained elephants - he described the incident as particularly shocking.

Such unprecedented incidents are occurring in the state, he said, adding that human-wildlife conflicts were increasing due to fragmentation of elephant corridors, changes in tiger movement patterns, growing wildlife populations, and shrinking forest areas.

As a result, the government has taken strict action against forest encroachments, reclaiming around 12,204 acres of forest land over the last three years. Instructions have also been issued to prevent any new encroachments, he added.

Noting that directions had been issued to restore elephant and tiger corridors in areas where they had been fragmented, Khandre said that over the past three years, 11 crore saplings had been planted and nurtured across the state.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)